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Whiteside  Park-Donated  to  the  City  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  N.  Griswold 


ILLINOIS  HISTORICAL  SURVEY 


SOUVENIR 

WHITE    HALL 

ILLINOIS 


WHITE    HALL,    ILLINOIS 


PREFACE. 

The  objects  in  the  publication  of  this  book  are 
to  show  the  industrial,  financial  and  educational 
progress  of  White  Hall  during  the  past  quarter  of 
a  century. 

The  information  herein  given  will  be  found  of 
a  highly  satisfactory  character,  and  reflecting 
credit  upon  White  Hall,  showing  as  it  does  unsur- 
passed growth  and  advancement  far  in  excess  of 
any  town  in  Central  Illinois. 

The  Publishers. 

November,  1911. 


EARLY  HISTORY. 

White  Hall  came  into  being  in  the  year  1832, 
and  consisted  of  forty-eight  lots  laid  out  along  the 
old  state  road,  which  served  as  a  public  highway 
the  same  as  the  railroads  do  today.  David  Bar- 
row was  the  founder. 

James  Allen  kept  the  first  tavern,  as  hotels 
were  called  then. 

The  town  was  more  of  a  country  settlement 
than  a  village,  with  log  houses. 

Beverly  Holliday  was  the  first  merchant  and 
postmaster.  Dr.  S.  H.  Culver  and  Sam  Higbee 


settled  here  in  1834-35.  In  1836  there  were  only 
three  business  firms,  consisting  of  Hogan  &  Good- 
cup,  Ayers  &  Hogan,  and  Blackwell  &  Holliday. 

White  Hall  became  a  town  in  1836  by  act  of 
the  legislature,  and  contained  at  that  time  less 
than  fifty  qualified  voters.  In  1840  there  were 
about  forty-five  buildings  and  a  population  of 
some  three  hundred. 

The  first  church  was  built  by  the  Methodists, 
and  stood  near  the  McAvoy  home,  south  of  town. 
The  first  school  house  was  built  on  what  is  now 
Carrollton  street,  and  was  a  one-story  frame  struc- 
ture, the  first  teacher  being  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Barton.  The  first  lawyer  was  Josiah  Lamborn, 
who  came  here  from  Jacksonville,  a  man  of  great 
intellect. 

Stoneware  was  burned  here  as  far  back  as 
1835  by  a  man  by  the  name  of  Michael  Baker. 

It  would  be  the  height  of  ingratitude  to  omit 
from  this  book  the  name  of  the  late  Judge  L.  E. 
Worcester,  who  more  perhaps  than  any  other  man 
figured  in  the  early  and  later  history  of  the  town. 
He  came  here  in  1836,  the  winter  of  the  "deep 
snow,"  and  entered  into  the  work  of  building  a 
town.  He  never  ceased  until  his  death,  being  al- 
ways foremost  in  all  enterprises  calculated  to  ad- 
vance home  interests  and  make  others  prosperous 


regardless  of  his  personal  well  being.  Had  others 
seen  as  he  did,  White  Hall  would  have  been  a 
city  of  25,000  inhabitants  today. 

White  Hall  never  became  prominent  on  the 
map  until  after  the  completion  of  the  Chicago  & 
Alton  Railroad  to  this  point  January  1,  1866,  and 
even  then  only  locally.  While  it  has  always  main- 
tained a  progressive  tendency,  her  real  progress 
did  not  become  pronounced  until  the  clay  deposits 
were  opened  up. 

In  1884  the  town  became  a  city,  and  Seneca  I). 
Chapin  was  the  first  mayor. 


CLAY  INDUSTRIES. 

August  Pierce  built  the  first  shop  and  turned 
the  first  jug  in  1863,  which  formed  the  foundation 
for  the  city's  wealth.  One  followed  another  in 
rapid  succession,  and  in  1865  Mr.  Pierce  and  David 
Culbertson  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  drain 
tile.  In  1875  W.  W.  Arnold  established  the  first 
steam-power  clay  plant  in  the  city,  and  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  sewer  pipe. 

In  the  year  1878  there  were  590,000  gallons  of 
stoneware  turned  out,  560,000  drain  tile  and 
200,000  brick,  for  which  there  was  received 
$46,650.  At  that  time  all  the  industries  gave  em- 
ployment to  only  ninety-five  hands. 

With  one  among  our  largest  factories  standing 
idle  at  the  present  time,  we  have  five  hundred  men 
employed  with  a  pay-roll  of  $390.000  annually. 
To  this  would  be  added  another  $150,000  should 


the  Western  Stoneware  Co.  resume  operations, 
making  a  grand  total  of  $530,000,  or  a  trifle  over 
a  half  million  dollars.  With  a  population  of  three 
thousand,  this  is  a  fraction  more  than  $176.00  to 
every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  city. 

No  town  in  the  state  has  finer  homes  and  finer 
lawns  than  White  Hall.  A  glance  at  a  few  of 
them  as  they  appear  in  this  souvenir  will  prove 
the  truth  of  what  is  stated  here. 


CHURCHES. 

The  spiritual  welfare  of  our  people  is  well 
provided  for,  there  being  six  modern  church 
buildings,  costing  $95,000.  They  are  Methodist, 
Presbyterian,  Christian,  First  Baptist,  Tabernacle 
Baptist  and  Catholic. 


PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 

Our  public  schools  are  among  the  best  in  the 
state,  and  have  graduated  many  of  the  most  prom- 
inent and  foremost  men  of  the  country.  The 
building,  a  commodious  brick  structure,  consists 
of  a  central  section  and  two  wings.  The  central 
section  was  erected  in  1867,  the  east  wing  in  1888, 
the  west  wing  in  1901.  While  the  structure  thus 
built  may  be  considered  old,  it  is  modern  in 
equipment,  having  up-to-date  desks,  electric 
lights,  its  own  drinking  water  system,  city  water, 
modern  toilet  rooms,  well-equipped  laboratories, 
libraries,  and  other  things  that  go  to  make  up  the 
equipment  of  a  modern  school.  The  high  school 


department  occupies  the  central  and  western 
wing  of  the  second  story,  the  seventh  and  eighth 
grades  the  east  wing  of  the  second  story,  the  pri- 
mary and  first  grades  the  west  wing  of  the  first 
story,  the  second,  third  and  the  fourth -and  fifth 
combined  grades  the  central  part  of  the  first 
floor,  and  the  fifth  and  sixth  grades  the  east  wing 
of  the  first  floor.  In  the  basement  are  located  the 
toilet  rooms,  the  janitor's  work  room,  play  room 
for  the  little  folks,  dining  room,  two  gymnasium 
rooms,  and  the  chemical  laboratory.  The  superin- 
tendent's office  and  the  library  are  on  the  second 
floor.  The  grounds  are  quite  commodious,  and 
luive  been  laid  out  and  beautified  so  as  to  keep 
the  school  premises  in  harmony  with  the  estheti- 
cal  growth  of  our  city. 

The  school  as  an  organization  is  second  to  none 
in  Greene  county,  and  the  peer  of  any  in  Central 
Illinois.  The  high  school,  with  an  enrollment  of 
upwards  of  120  students,  maintains  two  well-de- 
fined courses  of  study — English-scientific-com- 
mercial  and  English-scientific-classical, — and  the 
corps  of  teachers,  five  in  number,  have  charge  of 
the  several  departments — English,  mathematics, 
science,  language  and  history.  The  grade  work  is 
covered  by  eight  grades — ten  departments  or 
rooms, — with  an  enrollment  of  upwards  of  forty- 
five.  The  work  in  the  grades  is  based  on  the  state 
course  of  study,  and  since  all  are  working  to  meet 
these  requirements  in  full,  the  work  being  done  is 
fully  up  to  normal. 

The  school  was  graded  and  given  a  course  of 
study  as  early  as  1860,  but  not  until  1874  was  it 
given  the  dignity  of  maintaining  a  high  school 
department.  But  this  need  not  seem  strange  to 


us  when  we  consider  that  in  1861,  at  the  breaking 
out  of  the  civil  war,  there  were  in  the  whole  of 
the  United  States  fewer  than  forty  high  schools. 

In  1877  the  first  graduating  class,  under  the 
supervision  of  Mr.  E.  M.  Prindle,  went  out  and 
became  the  nucleus  for  that  honorable  body — the 
White  Hall  High  School  Alumni  Association,— 
which  today  numbers  in  the  neighborhood  of  four 
hundred  and  fifty.  Most  of  these  honored  mem- 
bers of  former  classes  are  in  White  Hall  and  vi- 
cinity, but  many  have  moved  to  other  states  and 
not  a  few  to  foreign  lands.  Thirty-two  have  de- 
parted this  life,  passing  to  their  reward  in  the 
"Great  Beyond,"  but  most  of  those  living  are  do- 
ing well  their  part  in  life's  toils  and  turmoils. 

Since  the  first  class  went  out,  no  aid  has  failed 
to  add  a  class  to  the  ever-increasing  numbers  of 
the  W.  H.  H.  S.  A.  A.,  the  smallest  class  being  that 
of  1900,  when  only  two— Annie  Richert  and  Wil- 
liam D.  Chapman — went  out.  The  largest  class 
was  that  of  1910,  when  forty-one  honorable  mem- 
bers were  added  to  the  alumni. 

Since  the  organization  of  the  high  school  in 
1874,  eleven  superintendents  have  come,  served 
their  time,  and  gone  their  way — some  to  work  in 
other  schools  and  some  to  enter  other  lines  of 
work,  some  to  settle  down  in  our  midst  and  some 
to  enter  other  fields  of  labor.  The  first,  he  who 
organized  the  high  school,  Mr.  E.  M.  Prindle,  left 
the  school  and  entered  mercantile  life  in  our  city 
in  1879.  He  was  followed  by  J.  M.  Shearer,  who 
served  one  year  and  surrendered  the  reins  of  gov- 
ernment to  A.  C.  Courtney.  Mr.  Courtney  re- 
mained in  the  schools  until  .1884,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  T.  L.  Fansler,  who  remained  at  the 


head  of  the  schools  but  one  year.  In  1886  G.  W. 
Herrick  took  charge  of  the  schools,  and  remained 
at  the  head  for  three  years,  when  he  resigned,  and 
was  followed  by  Geo.  W.  Smith,  who  served  four 
years,  and  then  resigned  to  enter  the  Southern 
Illinois  Normal  University  at  Carbondale,  with 
which  institution  he  has  charge  of  the  depart- 
ment of  history.  Since  going  to  Carbondale  he 
has  written  a  text  book  on  Illinois  history  that  has 
been  generally  adopted  by  the  schools  of  the 
state,  and  he  is  now  engaged  in  writing  a  history 
of  Southern  Illinois.  Prof.  Smith  has  gained  lead- 
ing rank  as  a  writer  of  Illinois  history.  In  1893 
C.  H.  Andrews,  who  made  the  time  record,  serving 
eight  years,  took  charge,  and  under  his  sway  the 
advancement  of  the  schools  was  very  marked. 
He  retired  in  1901,  and  was  followed  by  C.  E. 
Joiner,  who  served  five  years.  Under  Mr.  Joiner 
the  high  school  was  placed  on  the  accredited  list 
at  the  state  university.  Mr.  Joiner  resigned  to 
enter  work  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state,  and 
was  followed  by  F.  M.  Beatty,  who  served  one 
year,  and  then  resigned  to  enter  the  federal  ser- 
vice in  the  Philippines.  Mr.  C.  E.  Avis  then  took 
charge,  and  for  three  years  directed  the  educa- 
tional trend,  then  resigned  to  enter  other  lines  of 
work.  He  was  followed  by  J.  P.  Scheid,  who  held 
the  reins  of  government  four  years,  resigning  in 
May,  1911.  Under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  Scheid 
the  work  in  the  school  made  marked  advance- 
ment. He  also  had  the  honor  of  sending  out  the 
largest  class  in  the  history  of  the  school,  if  not  in 
the  history  of  the  high  schools  of  the  county,  into 
the  ranks  of  the  W.  H.  H.  S.  A.  A.,  that  of  1910, 
which  numbered  forty-one.  At  the  present  time 
Heywood  Coffield  has  charge  of  the  schools,  and 


though  he  has  been  at  the  head  for  only  a  short 
time,  yet  the  enrollment,  attendance  and  work  in 
general  indicate  that  our  schools  are  not  retro- 
grading, but  are  in  the  lead. 

For  the  last  ten  years  the  White  Hall  high 
school  has  been  accredited  at  the  state  university. 
At  first  the  work  was  not  fully  up  to  require- 
ments, but  constantly  improved  the  rating  until 
at  the  present  the  White  Hall  high  school  stands 
fully  accredited,  arid  has  a  number  of  additional 
points  standing  to  her  credit. 

White  Hall  being  in  an  agricultural  com- 
munity, a  strong  agricultural  section  lias 
been  added  to  the  high  school  course,  and  to  meet 
the  further  demands,  steps  are  being  taken  look- 
ing to  the  organization  of  manual  training  and 
domestic  science  departments. 

Though  the  White  Hall  schools  have  main- 
tained their  rating  at  the  top  in  educational  lines, 
they  have  not  taken  a  secondary  place  in  athlet- 
ics. True  foot  ball  has  been  for  some  years  a  ta- 
booed luxury,  yet  in  other  lines  of  athletics  the 
school  has  held  its  own,  and  at  present  the  school 
is  in  a  position  to  maintain  the  lead  in  all  lines  of 
athletic  sports. 

The  ethical  standing  of  the  school  is  very  high, 
being  as  it  is  a  leader  in  all  things  tending  to  ele- 
vate social,  moral  and  intellectual  growth. 

The  corps  of  instructors,  with  the  positions 
they  hold  at  present,  is  as  follows : 

High  School — Heywood  Coffield,  superintendent 
and  instructor  in  mathematics ;  Miss  Xita  Robin- 
son, principal  high  school  and  instructor  in  lan- 
guage ;  R.  V.  Smith,  instructor  in  science ;  Miss 
Martha  Connole,  instructor  in  history  and  com- 


mercial  branches ;  Miss  Louise  Roberts,  instructor 
in  English. 

Grades — D.  Noel  King,  eighth;  Miss  Mary 
Baker,  seventh ;  Miss  Lucy  Baker,  sixth  ;  Miss 
Edna  Vosseller,  fifth ;  Miss  Maud  Tanner,  fourth 
and  fifth;  Miss  Mabel  McGown,  fourth;  Miss 
Naomi  Auten,  third;  Miss  Ethel  Rickart,  second; 
Miss  Grace  Campbell,  first;  Miss  Norma  Strode, 
primary. 

Our  public  school  building  and  grounds  cost 
the  district  $75,000. 

PIONEER  IN  TEMPERANCE. 

White  Hall  is  the  pioneer  temperance  city  of 
Central  Illinois,  having  had  no  legalized  saloon 
since  1871,  with  the  possible  exception  of  1873. 
During  the  life  of  the  "club  room"  that  followed 
the  abolition  of  saloons.  White  Hall  occupied  a 
prominent  place  on  the  docket  at  each  session  of 
the  circuit  court  for  a  number  of  years.  John  S. 
Judd,  being  president  of  the  village  board,  led 
the  fight  to  oust  the  saloon,  and  led  in  the  prose- 
cutions for  the  illicit  sale  of  liquor.  He  fought 
the  demon  from  every  available  point  until  bank- 
ruptcy looked  him  in  the  face.  The  taxpayers 
were  weakening  on  account  of  the  increased  tax, 
yet  Judd  never  ceased  in  his  efforts,  and  contin- 
ued the  warfare.  His  oft-repeated  defeats  finally 
turned  to  victory  through  the  aid  of  a  fire  that 
proved  more  successful  than  the  courts  in  bring- 
ing an  end  to  the  "club  room."  This  ended  the 
whisky  business  in  White  Hall.  Popular  opinion 
is  no  longer  divided  on  the  saloon  question,  but 
has  long  since  become  thoroughly  united  against 
it.  With  the  closing  of  saloons,  a  wave  of  pros- 


perity set  in,  the  accumulated  debt  was  soon  paid 
off,  and  today  we  are  in  a  better  financial  condi- 
tion than  ever  before.  We  have  better  streets  and 
more  miles  of  concrete  walks  than  any  city  of  its 
size  in  the  state. 


OUR  WATER. 

We  have  a  waaer  system  extending  over  the 
entire  city.  The  supply  is  obtained  from  a  large 
reservoir  located  one  mile  east  of  the  city,  afford- 
ing an  inexhaustible  supply  for  all  industrial  pur- 
poses. The  city  is  practically  out  of  debt,  with 
funds  for  making  further  improvements. 


ELECTRIC  LIGHTS  AND  POWER. 

The  electric  light  and  power  service  at  White 
Hall  has  no  superior.  The  plant  is  operated  day 
and  night,  enabling  the  factories  to  operate  their 
machinery  by  electricity.  In  addition  to  supply- 
ing our  city,  Greenfield  and  Winchester  receive 
their  light  and  power  from  the  White  Hall  plant. 

A  splendid  system  of  hot-water  heating  has 
also  been  put  in  operation.  Nearly  all  the  busi- 
ness houses  and  offices  and  the  residences  reached 
by  the  heating  mains  have  adopted  this  economi- 
cal and  convenient  method  of  securing  heat,  it 
having  proven  far  superior  to  the  old  method  of 
stoves,  saying  nothing  of  the  saving  of  labor  and 
dirt.  The  public  school  building  has  been  heated 
by  this  system  for  several  years.  The  heat  is  sup- 
plied from  the  central  power  plant  of  the  White 
Hall  Sewer  Pipe  and  Stoneware  Co. 


THE  WHITE  HALL  ICE  COMPANY. 

The  above  company  operates  an  artificial  ice 
plant  with  a  capacity  of  fifteen  tons  of  congealed 
water  every  twenty-four  hours.  This  institution 
has  been  in  operation  only  a  few  years,  but  it 
promises  a  very  successful  future.  During  the 
past  summer  its  value  to  the  community  asserted 
itself  in  no  uncertain  manner.  While  other  com- 
munities suffered  for  want  of  ice  at  any  price, 
White  Hall  was  constantly  supplied  with  not  a 
cent  advance  in  price. 


WHITE  HALL  ORPHANS'  HOME  SOCIETY. 

The  White  Hall  Orphans'  Home  Society  was 
established  by  J.  N.  Dewell  November  15,  1902, 
with  a  full  roster  of  officials,  representing  White 
Hall's  best  citizens.  It  has  prospered  from  its 
organization,  and  grows  in  popularity  with  each 
year  of  its  usefulness.  It  has  no  endowment  fund, 
being  supported  by  private  subscriptions  through 
the  various  field  representatives  located  in  vari- 
ous sections  of  the  state.  These  subscriptions  have 
always  proven  ample  to  meet  expenses,  with  suf- 
ficient accumulations  to  enable  the  society  to  pur- 
chase a  site  for  a  more  convenient  home,  located 
at  the  south  edge  of  the  city,  and  plans  for  a  new 
receiving  home  are  now  under  consideration. 

The  expense  of  conducting  the  society  has  al- 
ways been  light,  there  being  no  salaried  officials, 
except  the  superintendent  and  the  matron  of  the 


home  and  the  secretary,  the  bulk  of  the  expense 
being  in  receiving  and  caring  for  the  orphan 
children  until  suitable  homes  can  be  found  for 
them.  In  many  states  this  work  is  carried  on  by 
state  appropriation,  and  a  move  has  been  made  to 
secure  from  the  state  of  Illinois  an  appropriation 
of  $15,000  to  aid  in  the  construction  of  an  orphans' 
home  and  industrial  school  at  White  Hall. 

Every  child  placed  by  this  society  is  constant- 
ly looked  after  until  it  maintains  its  majority.  If 
perchance  a  child  should  be  improperly  treated, 
or  its  education  neglected  by  its  foster  parents, 
the  society  cancels  the  contract  and  replaces  the 
ward. 

During  the  nine  years  of  its  existence  the 
society  has  found  homes  for  four  hundred  or- 
phan children,  many  of  whom  have  been  saved 
from  becoming  wards  upon  the  state  and  trained 
to  useful  citizens. 

W.  J.  Roberts,  a  former  newspaper  man,  was 
made  state  superintendent  on  the  death  of  Mr. 
Dewell  a  year  ago,  his  duty  being  to  look  after 
the  receiving  and  placing  of  children  and  super- 
vising the  field  work  of  the  agents  scattered  in 
all  parts  of  the  state.  Several  county  and  other 
officials  throughout  the  state  have  enlisted  in  the 
work,  and  the  last  annual  report  of  the  state 
board  of  charities  showed  the  work  of  the  White 
Hall  Orphans'  Home  Society  to  be  second  to  none 
among  like  organizations  in  the  state,  with  the 
single  exception  of  a  Chicago  -institution  which 
handles  children  from  all  parts  of  the  county, 
the  work  of  the  White  Hall  society  being  confined 
strictly  to  Illinois. 


HARD  ROADS. 

White  Hall  has  long  contemplated  the  con- 
struction of  hard  roads,  both  in  the  city  and  along 
the  main  roads  leading  to  it,  but  no  definite  move 
was  made  until  the  present  year  toward  carrying 
out  the  plans.  Contracts  were  entered  into  with 
the  state  highway  commission,  and  there  has  al- 
ready been  completed  a  stretch  of  rock  road 
leading  from  the  C.  &  A.  track  west  along  Bridge- 
port to  a  point  two  miles  distant.  Work  has  now 
begun  on  a  like  road  running  south  from  the  city 
to  the  bridge  over  Seminary  creek,  where  it  will 
connect  with  an  experimental  mile  of  hard  road 
constructed  some  three  years  ago,  giving  a  con- 
tinuous stretch  of  permanent  road  to  the  famous 
Gregory  Farm.  There  is  now  a  demand  for  a 
hard  road  running  east  from  the  city. 


A  SEWERAGE  SYSTEM. 

White  Hall  has  come  to  realize  the  urgent 
need  of  a  complete  system  of  sewerage,  and  the 
preliminary  steps  have  been  taken  to  meet  this 
necessity,  and  the  administration  of  Mayor  Rood- 
house  is  now  furthering  the  project  in  earnest. 

NEWSPAPERS. 

After  several  efforts  to  establish  a  newspaper, 
the  White  Hall  Register  was  established  in  1867. 
The  Register  was  financed  by  the  late  Judge  Jj. 
E.  Worcester.  S.  H.  Davis  and  C.  H.  Johnson 
were  brought  here  from  Chicago  to  take  charge, 
the  former  as  editor  and  the  latter  as  compositor. 
Davis  remained  with  the  paper  less  than  a  year, 


returning  to  Chicago,  where  he  assumed  the  edi- 
torship of  an  insurance  paper.  Johnson  then  took 
charge,  and  with  the  help  of  Henry  Johnson  of 
Carrollton  as  editorial  writer,  continued  the  pub- 
lication for  several  years.  Henry  Johnson  finally 
bought  the  plant  from  Judge  Worcester,  and  as- 
sumed the  proprietorship,  C.  H.  Johnson  return- 
ing to  Chicago.  The  Register  has  the  distinction 
of  being  the  only  newspaper  that  ever  succeeded 
in  defeating  the  regular  county  democratic 
ticket  in  Greene  county,  electing  an  entire  inde- 
pendent ticket.  A  few  years  later  Johnson  lost 
his  prestige,  and  the  paper  took  the  downward 
course,  so  continuing  until  finally  sold  to  W.  J. 
Roberts.  It  was  Johnson  who  inaugurated  the 
present  style  of  personal  journalism,  and,  proving 
popular,  became  general.  Roberts  sold  the  paper 
to  McFarland  &  Rowe,  who  in  turn  passed  it  over 
to  H.  E.  Bell,  the  present  proprietor,  some  twelve 
years  ago.  The  paper  was  established  in  August, 
1867.  It  has  always  maintained  the  usual  stan- 
dard of  local  journalism,  and  today  is  looked  upon 
as  one  of  the  leading  local  papers  of  the  county. 

The  Republican  was  established  in  February, 
1877,  by  Capt.  E.  J.  Pearce,  the  paper  for  some 
months  being  printed  at  Carrollton.  Later  the 
plant  of  the  White  Hall  Tribune  was  bought  from 
Charles  Weis,  and  its  publication  removed  to 
White  Hall,  where  it  has  since  remained.  The 
paper  never  changed  ownership  until  after  the 
death  of  its  proprietor  in  1907,  when  it  came  into 
possession  of  the  Pearce  brothers — F.  V.,  E.  C. 
and  R.  B.  Pearce — who  grew  into  manhood  in  the 
office.  It  can  hardly  be  said  that  even  after  the 
death  of  the  father  any  change  in  ownership  took 


place.  The  paper  has  always  prospered,  and  its 
prosperity  has  clung  to  the  Pearce  brothers  since 
the  death  of  their  father.  The  policy  so  long 
maintained  has  been  strictly  followed  under  the 
new  management,  so  well  trained  for  following 
in  the  footsteps  of  an  honorable  and  illustrious 
father.  Capt.  Pearce  never  hesitated  in  condem- 
ning wrong  through  fear  of  losing  a  subscriber  or 
patronage,  and  the  man  who  did  a  public  wrong 
received  as  strong  a  denunciation  as  words  could 
be  made  to  apply.  He  was  also  as  quick  to  give 
credit  for  a  just  and  honest  act.  No  man  ever 
had  a  higher  conception  of  duty  to  society  than 
Capt.  Pearce.  He  was  scrupulously  honest  and 
truthful  in  the  conduct  of  his  paper,  as  he  was 
personally  in  his  dealings  with  men.  No  man 
ever  had  the  unforgiving  and  eternal  hatred  for 
the  whisky  traffic  than  did  he.  His  power  and 
that  of  his  paper  for  good  could  not  be  measured. 
His  influence  was  always  in  the  direction  best  cal- 
culated for  the  uplifting  of  humanity.  A  few 
months  ago  the  business  was  organized  into  a  cor- 
poration under  the  name  of  Pearce  Printing  Co., 
with  $15,000  capital,  and  the  equipment  has  been 
enlarged  to  an  extent  that  makes  this  the  leading 
printing  plant  in  this  section  of  the  state. 

DAIRY  INDUSTRY. 

In  a  few  years  the  dairy  business  at  White 
Hall  has  grown  to  huge  proportions,  placing  it 
side  by  side  with  many  of  the  older  institutions  of 
the  city,  as  is  shown  by  the  books  of  the  White 
Hall  Condensed  Milk  Co.,  which  operates  stations 
at  Berdan  and  Barrow  in  addition  to  the  plant  at 
White  Hall.  During  the  month  of  May,  1911, 


there  were  one  hundred  and  twenty  farmers  inai1- 
keting  their  milk  at  White  Hall,  fifty  at  Berdan 
and  forty  at  Barrow,  a  total  of  two  hundred  and 
ten  patrons.  In  August,  1911,  there  were  handled 
745,818  pounds  of  milk,  for  which  the  farmers  re- 
ceived $9,371.28.  At  the  White  Hall  plant  there 
were  479,981  pounds  of  milk  handled,  for  which 
the  payment  amounted  to  $6,005.91.  The  month 
of  August,  although  an  unusually  dry  month  and 
pastures  short,  was  the  largest  month  since  the 
establishment  of  the  condensing  plant.  During 
the  same  month  in  1910  there  were  only  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  patrons.  These  delivered 
381,482  pounds,  receiving  $5,348.56,  the  increase 
in  1911  over  1910  being  $4,022.72,  with  the  price 
remaining  the  same  for  both  years — $1.30  per 
hundred  pounds  for  four  percent  milk.  This  is 
certainly  a  fine  showing  for  such  a  young  institu- 
tion. 

BANKING. 

White  Hall  has  three  banking  institutions,  all 
of  which  enjoy  the  confidence  of  our  business  men 
and  farmers,  being  as  they  are  among  the  best 
officered  and  strongest  financial  institutions  in 
the  state.  We  have  the  First  National  and  the 
White  Hall  National,  both  organized  eleven  years 
ago,  each  with  a  paid-up  capital  stock  of  $50,000, 
and  the  People's  Bank,  a  private  bank  established 
in  1877,  yet  known  to  be  one  of  the  strongest,  its 
officers  and  stockholders  comprising  our  best  and 
most  substantial  farmers  and  citizens.  The  con- 
dition of  the  two  national  banks  is  best  shown  by 
their  quarterly  statements.  The  First  National's 
first  report  eleven  years  ago  showed  deposits  of 


$65,174.96.  The  intervening  statements  show  a 
gradual  and  healthy  increase  in  its  holdings. 
The  last  report  on  September  1  shows  deposits  of 
$204,288.81.  The  White  Hall  National  started  out 
the  first  year  with  $180,552.00,  and  on  September 
1  last  had  $371,987.00  in  deposits.  The  combined 
deposits  of  both  national  banks  reach  the  total  of 
$576,275.81,  a  gain  in  nine  years  of  $330,549.85. 
The  People's  being  a  private  bank,  no  figures  are 
available,  though  a  very  conservative  estimate 
estimate  places  it  $250,000,  perhaps  several  thous- 
and more.  On  this  basis  we  have  in  the  three 
banks  a  cash  holding  of  more  than  $826,275.81, 
not  including  capital  stock.  It  can  be  said  that 
no  town  of  three  thousand  population  in  the 
county  can  excel  the  showing  of  accumulated 
wealth  attained  by  White  Hall,  the  result  of  her 
clay  industries,  combined  with  her  vast  agricul- 
tural, stock-raising,  fruit-growing  and  stock-rais- 
ing facilities,  the  finest  in  the  world. 

The  Chicago  &  Alton  and  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  railroads,  passing  through  here, 
give  a  direct  competing  outlet  to  the  great  lakes 
on  the  north,  the  Gulf  south,  the  Atlantic  east  and 
the  Pacific  on  the  west.  We  have  ten  passenger 
trains  daily  with  ten  mails,  thus  affording'all  the 
needed  facilities  for  the  speedy  and  prompt  dis- 
patch of  business  by  mail  and  train.  White 
Hall  is  only  twelve  miles  from  the  great  Illinois 
river. 


EGGS  AND  POULTRY. 

The  humble  hen  is  no  longer  an  obscure  bird. 
During  the  past  year  there  has  been  shipped  from 


White  Hall  75,000  dozen  eggs  and  145,000  pounds 
of  dressed  poultry,  $30,000  being  distributed 
therefor  among  the  farmers  in  this  immediate 
locality.  The  year  just  closed  has  not  been  as 
good  one  as  many  former  ones,  as  the  hen  suf- 
fered from  the  effects  of  the  heat  and  the  exces- 
sive dry  weather.  There  have  been  several  years 
when  these  figures  have  gone  to  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars above  that  of  the  present  one. 

We  have  an  excellent  flouring  mill,  one  hun- 
dred barrels  capacity,  that  is  kept  running  the 
year  round,  turning  out  a  high  grade  of  products 
which  finds  a  ready  market  here  and  nearby 
towns  along  the  Burlington  and  "The  Only  Way. " 
While  there  has  been  an  unusual  quantity  of 
wheat,  corn  and  other  crops  marketed  here  dur- 
ing the  past  season,  no  figures  could  be  obtained 
from  the  dealers. 

There  are  fifteen  miles  of  concrete  sidewalks 
in  the  city,  and  eight  miles  of  water  mains. 

The  city  has  fire-fighting  apparatus  of  ample 
proportions  manned  by  a  splendid  volunteer  fire 
department. 

White  Hall  is  the  location  of  the  famous 
Gregory  Farm,  which  has  an  international  repu- 
tation for  the  breeding  of  the  highest  grade  of 
Percheron  horses  and  Berkshire  hoge.  At  a  recent 
public  auction  forty-nine  head  of  Percheron  horses 
from  this  farm  brought  a  total  of  almost  $35,000. 


Further  detals  concerning  White  Hall  will  be 
found  in  a  circular  just  issued  by  the  Commercial 
Club,  of  which  W.  F.  Dillman  is  the  secretary. 


!  White  Hall  Pottery  Works-A.  D.  Ruckel  &  So 


Residence  of  George  North.  President  People's  Bank 


South  Main  Street.— Looking  North  from  Whiteside  Park 


.  New  Rock  Road  on  Bridgeport  Street-Looking  East  from  Car 


esidence   of  C.   B.   Roodhouse— South   Main   St 


Residence  of  F.  M.  Baldwin — West  Franklin  St. 


Residence  of  Chas.  H.  Giller— W.  Franklin  St. 


•••  I 


Hotel    Stocks 


Howard  Piper 


M.   S.    Kawin — Dry   Goods,    Clothing,    Etc. 


C.  K.  Miller's  Jewelry  Store. 


Residence  of  Anthony  Seely— South  Main  St 


Residence    of    Ann    Be 


The    White    Hall    Lumber   Co.— l!uililiiiK    M;i  tn-ial    of   all    kir 


Residence  of  Sam'l  Rimbey 


Interior    First    National    Bank. 


Residence   of   Wm.    Blake,    Contractor — Carrollto 


Ice  Cream  Parlor— Main  St. 


Residence  of  Mark  Lowenstein— North  Main  St. 


North    Elevator  Superior   Flour   Mills — Freeh    &   Johnson  South    Elevate 


Residence    of   Frank    Bridgewater— Cashier   People's    Bank 


J.  H.  Fox— Furniture    and   Undertaking. 


1.  H.  P.  Lowen.sU-in.   Kansas  City,   Mo. 

2.  Grant    Foreman.    .MuskoKce,    Okla. 

3.  C.    J.    Moynihan.     .Montroxe,    Colo. 

4.  G.    W.    Smith.    Carl.ondille.    111. 

5.  H.    D.    Hamilton,    New    York    City. 


Ladd,    Lincoln,   Neb.  11.  Wm.    A.    Boehm,    St.    Louis.    .Mo. 

..      _ _.    Meisenbach.    St.    Louis,    Mo.  12.  M.    IX    Purdy,    Minneapolis,    Mil 

8.  H.    C.    Tunison,    Lake    Bluff,    111.  13.  N.    M.    BonKess.    Fremont,    Neb. 

9.  J.    R.    Stanton,    Chicago,    111.                       14.  Jos.    \V.    Carr,    St.    Louis,   Mo. 
10.      W.  G.   Ebey,  Oskaloosa,  la.                          IB.  Ed   North,    Houston,   Tex. 

G.     Fred  Browne    (Tip),   New   Bedford,   Mass. 


J.    R.    Singleton — Groceries,    Notions, 


Eliza  Hi^be 


Residence  of  Seth  N.  Griswold -North  Main  St. 


First  Pres^-terian  Church 


First  M.  E.  Church 


Tabernacle    Baptist    Church 


Catholic    Church 


Christian    Church 


WHITE    HALL    HIGH     SCHOOL     BUILDING     AND     TKACHKKS 


(1)  Mary   Baker 

(2)  Lucy  Bakor 

(3)  Louise   Roberta 


(4)  R.  V.   Smith 

(5)  Norman    Strode 


(11)      Noel  King 
(12)     Mable  McGo 

(15)   Supt.    Heywood  Coffleld. 


White  Hall   Milk    Conder 


C.   S.   Doyle — Monuments. 


Edward's    Grocery. 


MEMBERS   Of    WHITE  HALL   TOWN    BOARD 


Wade   &   Todd — Unde 


Griswold    &   Bailie — Harness,    Saddles,    Buggies,    E 


The   Pantitorium. 


Hiilberfs  Barber  Shop. 


1 


J 

I  I 


West  Bridgeport  St.  Residences 


The  Kendall  Home 


4&ttti*^SS2* 


Luther  Hicks-West  Bridgeport  S 


Wm.  Stephenson,  Contractor,  North  Main  ! 


Oscar  Rutschke-Jacksonville  St. 


John  W.  Vinyard,  Jr. -North  Main  St. 


West  Bridgeport  St.  Residen 


Residence  of  Edw.  Ross 


A.  O.  Vosseller- 


S.  G.  Sykes— E.  Bridgeport  St. 
D.  W.  Ozbun— W.  Franklin  SI . 


ridgeport  St.  Residences 


W.  F.  Dillman-North  Main 


Farm  Home  of  S.  W.  Wade 


Residence  of  Mayor  H.  W.  Roodhouse-Franklin  St. 


of  M.  B.  lioss  -North  Main  St. 


Residence  of  F.  M.  Mytinger- West  Bridgeport  St. 


Dr.  H.  A.  Chapin 


North  Main  St.  Reside 


The  White  Hall  Orph 


White  Hall  Ice  Company  Pla 


City  Drug  Store-Oscar  Rutschke,  Prop.  Interior  J.  Howard  Piper's  Store-Groceries,  Graniteware,  Tin 


Pearce  Grocery 


Residence  of  Dr.  R  A.  Prilcc.ett-West  Bridgeport  St. 


Garage  and  Repair  Shop— W.  W.  Evan?.  Prop. 
Heating-Plumbing-Automobiles-Gasoline  Engines 


Residence  of  Chas.  I.  McCollist. 


People's  Bank  Corner 


A  E.  Knitht's  Stock  Farm 


Lumber  Company 


^     ^xl 


Scenes  at  A.  E.  Knight's  Stock  Farm,  Showing  the  Famous  Percheron  Stallion  "Glou  Glou."  and  the  Shetland  Stallion  "Teddy  ' 


Residence  of  Mark  Meyerstein.  Sr  .  Attorney 


Park  Livery  Stable— J.  E.  Wyatt,  Prop. 


Mrs.  S.  D.  Chapin 


Baker — West  Bridgeport  St. 


f    Edgar    Bake 


41bert  Smith. 


Joshua  Winte 


Duncan   Sister 


Residence  of  R.  S.  Worcester — Cashier  White  Hall  National  Bank 


VITRII'TKD    SILO 


White  Hall  Drain  Tile  Co.'s  Plant 


